What Is Beef Consommé? Every Chef Needs To Know About This

Every time I want to get the best out of every meal I make, I always use a specific sauce, stock or ingredient. I am sure that this is the same case with most chefs out there. They always know what goes perfectly with a particular meal. Despite all the zeal to explore on dishes, there is always a fear that people who love cooking, as well as professional cooks, have of doing something wrong that will mess up the whole meal.

That is the reason why they do extensive research on new recipes they come across, just to make sure that they do everything right. For instance, if you intend to make some beef consommé, you need to know what beef consommé is and from there you will have the perfect lead for a great meal. By the way, before we proceed, what is beef consommé

So, What Do You Need To Know About Beef Consommé?

Beef consommé is generally a soup. It has an intense flavor and is full-bodied. Its main ingredients are beef stock and some seasonings. It is made by simmering and the process of reducing the volume of the brown stock.

Just as the word consommé suggests, it is meant to be served just as it is and not as an accompaniment of another dish like it is with most of the soups and broths. Consommé means completed, so the soup is complete just as it is.

If you manage to make your beef consommé, it will be sweeter, comforting and more satisfying compared to the beef itself.

The Distinct Differences Between Beef Consommé And Broth

Broth

Consommé

Many people normally find it hard to distinguish between beef consommé and broth. As a chef, this will be an embarrassment because the society expects you to know almost everything in the cooking world. However, here are some of the differences that you should be well aware of.

Beef consommé does not have a cloudy appearance. Instead, it is crystal clear, the glass-like appearance.

The flavors of the ingredients you use to make your beef consommé are deeply concentrated compared to other broths and soups.

The smoothness of beef consommé feels like nothing that can be associated with stock-based soups. It can simply be described as full-bodied.

Generally, beef consommé is far much better compared to the broth. Consuming it on its own is best so that you can savor the irresistible beef flavors. It has an all-around completeness.

Detailed History Of Beef Consommé

In the past, soups were made to be thick, and they were not for everyone’s tummy. I bet having soup indicated misery then since soup was only taken by peasants as their main course meal if at all they had a three-course meal. Soup was also meant for the toothless. This continued until the Middle Ages which was the period when Renaissance was starting to take shape. This was roughly from the 5th to the 15th centuries.

The reason why it ceased being a meal for the miserable is that it required quite a good deal of meat to make.Another reason is that the process of making it was somehow time-consuming. Due to the amount of meat required, they had to use meat from animals that were regarded as uncommon.

From that period onwards, beef consommé became a dish for the elegant ladies and gentlemen, and for the rest, it was not an everyday dish but for grand occasions.It’s highly regarded reputation lasted for well over 700 years. Trust me, even during the Titanicera, consommé was on the menu for the first class people aboard the Titanic on the fateful night of 14th April 1912in the North Atlantic Ocean.

On the recipe, it had been given the name Consommé Olga. It was among the first best choices. At around that time there was a dozen of names which were used to describe the dish, such asConsommé Monte Carlo, Consommé Ivan, and Consommé Madrilène. Despite there being all these names, there was no clear description of how they differed from the other.

The dish did enjoy its popularity among the nobles for quite some time since then after several centuries, that’s when it ceases being popular to the extent that it almost faded from existence in the 1980s.This was a time when casual dining became the trend, taking over from formal dining.

Its history makes one want to have a little more of it and urges you to let everyone around you know that it is your favorite. This way, you can get to tell the tale over and over again until you can tell it no more.

Beef Consommé Recipe

I won’t lie to you, but this method is complex compared to other recipes used to make soups and broths. With the right ingredients chopped, you will have made a very big step in making your beef consommé.

Step 1: Mix the egg whites, egg shells and peppercorns. Whisk them until they form a foamy mixture.

Step 2: Mix the beef, tomatoes, and celery in a food processor several times.

Step 3:In a large stockpot, mix up the beef stock, thyme, eggs, salt and beef-vegetable mixture.

Step 4​: Bring the ingredients to boil as you stir constantly.

Step 5: Simmer the mixture without stirring over medium heat for about 40 minutes at most and 30 minutes at least.

Step 6: Remove the mixture from the fire; strain it through a sieve with a fine mesh which is lined with a double layer of cheesecloth.

Step 7: Discard the residue contents on the sieve as well as the salt broth if you feel the need. Serve your beef consommé while still hot.Important

Important:

Sprig thyme adds to your beef consommé a herbal note. Adding it is optional, and so you can leave it out if it does not make your happy.

The reason why beef stalk can easily be substituted with veal is that veal is meat from calves. The only difference between the two is that beef is meat from an older cow while veal is obtained from young calves.

Is It Worth Taking All The Time And Using All the Effort?

It is undisputedly worth having some beef consommé. I would recommend that you make it at home. Follow the guidelines I have given in the recipe above, and you will find yourself getting caught up in fun. Cooking has always been known to be sort of therapy.

You will end up gaining a double advantage since you will save up some cash. This is because making it in your kitchen is by far cheaper than buying the canned soup which is ready made. You will also get to relieve yourself all the pressure and stress from the day’s work.

You can store it in your fridge if you intend to use it at a later date or when you have some remainder of the beef consommé after a hearty meal with family and friends.

For How Long Should You Preserve Your Beef Consommé?

According to the majority of the chefs, to enhance safe food handling, you should refrigerate any soup broth for not more than three days and if it gets to an extreme, make it four days.This should be the same case with your beef consommé.

To maximize the shelf life of your consommé, you can refrigerate it while stored in an airtight container. You can also place the airtight containers in heavy-duty freezer bags. In a freezer, it can last for up to four to six months and not more than that.

Make sure that you label your storage packages every time and perfectly. This also enhances safe food handling which helps a great deal in preventing food poisoning.

Conclusion

What is beef consommé? There is you have the perfect answer to this question. With its Latin pronunciation, it may get you twisted and give you the impression that preparing it is a stressful and technical task. That feeling would make you create a terrible mess just because you already have it in your mind that the task is difficult.

You just have to relax and have the yearning to make some beef consommé with some quality taste. If you desire to feel that sense of fulfillment, follow the straightforward procedure. With the right ingredients at hand and prepared, you can be sure that you will cook great beef consommé.

Gather some friends at home and share with them the knowledge of beef consommé and its recipe.If there are those who are far, send them the link to this article. Always remember that a little help goes a long way.

If you have any comment on the topic, feel free to go ahead and make your comment especially if I have left out any important bit. There is quite an audience that is ready and eager to learn new ideas.

Jessica Blythe

I am so glad that we are meeting on my cooking blog. I passionately enjoy cooking, If you need anything to do with cooking, then this blog is your perfect home away from home. I will be updating everything about cooking that you might be desperate to know about. I will also be sharing my experience, knowledge and research results with everyone who will be willing to read the content on this site. Read more

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